The Minstrel's Shakedown
Plot The Gotham City Stock Exchange is gripped by panic, as stock prices are going binky-bonkers—false stock prices are sent to the GCSE, and speculating on those false prices lead to chaos. Shortly afterward, the Minstrel, a man in a silly outfit and playing a fancy guitar, shows up on everyone’s TV screens and filks “A Wand’ring Minstrel” from The Mikado, assuring the folks on the Stock Exchange that they’ll be kept safe from the GCSE goofiness if they pay him $1000 a day, payable to his Swiss bank account. Outraged at the blackmail attempt, one stock exchange member suggests calling the TV station, but Mr. Cortland, the president of the exchange, calls Gordon instead—and he calls Batman. Bruce and Dick were also watching the pirate broadcast (with Aunt Harriet declaring the mysterious figure to be very handsome), and they assure Gordon that they’re on their way. Gordon, O’Hara, Batman, and Robin meet at Gordon’s office with Cortland and then proceed to the GCSE to see if they can find the sabotage that allowed the false prices through. They see that the circuitry has been sabotaged, but they say that they can’t find anything for the benefit of the microphone planted by the Minstrel. The Dynamic Duo return to the Batcave to put together a microphone of their own to plant on the broadcast circuitry. After arranging entry to the GCSE with Gordon (as well as an office to hide out in), and eating a quick meal prepared by a concerned Alfred, they head over. At first, their mic only picks up a cleaning lady whistling, then the Minstrel ambushes them with a sparkler, fancy lights, and a riff on “Goodnight Ladies.” However, he left before removing all his sabotage—he attached oscillators to each circuit, and he forgot to grab one. Batman confiscates it. But the Minstrel realizes that he left one behind, and now he needs to set a trap for Batman, since he expects Batman to trace the signal of his next pirate broadcast. Sure enough, Batman sets up a bat-drone to do so. The Minstrel hops onto another broadcast, this time to deliberately threaten Batman and Robin. They track the signal to the corner of Willow and Fourth Streets, and head there in the Batmobile. They bat-climb to the top of the abandoned warehouse and into a store room full of musical instruments—and also Minstrel’s henchmen waiting in ambush. Fisticuffs ensue, and while the Dynamic Duo are initially successful, they burst into a room that two thugs ran into, only to be trapped, er, somehow off-camera "Holt FLypaper". Minstrel then ties them to a spit and starts rotating and roasting them while making fun of them to the tune of “Rock-a-Bye Baby.” Cliffhanger text CAN THIS BE TRUE?? IS THE MELODIC FIEND FINALLY COOKING THE DUO'S GOOSE?? CHECK THE THERMOMETER ON YOUR RADAR GRILL! BE HERE TOMORROW. SAME HOT TIME, SAME HOT CHANNEL... Appearances Individuals *Batman *Robin *Alfred *Commissioner Gordon *Chief O'Hara *Mrs. Cooper *The Minstrel Locations Behind the scenes *Phyllis Diller cameos as a scrubber. See Also List of Batman (1960s series) Episodes 2.39